When I read the synopsis of this book, I was immediately intrigued by the "ocean horror" trope, which tends to be a favorite of mine. Needles to say, this was a very anticipated read for me. Unfortunately, I found myself absolutely loathing this book. The premise had so much promise, but it was essentially 300 pages of the main character, Liv, saying the same annoying things over, and over... and over again. I pushed through to the end out of spite and with the tiniest inkling of hope that there would be a satisfying ending. Didn't happen. Overall, this was not a good read for me.

A great young adult horror novel set at sea! I was disappointed in the open ending because I need closure. If there's a sequel I can forgive it. But still found that annoying.

I thought that we would see the book unfold across the whole Seamester, that is not the case. Bonus, we don’t have to hear about school things but it would’ve been more interesting if the events had taken place through the whole trip. Instead they don’t even make it to their first port stop in New York City. The route taken wasn’t described very well (or where they originated) so I didn’t really have a solid stance on time passing until it how many days till the first port stop would be on occasion.

This book did a good job at portraying suspense and horror but I believe that it could have been so much more. The potential for it to be downright terrifying was certainly there but maybe that wasn’t what the author wanted for it. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, it could’ve been a lot better – what it is now could be a loop in for a possible sequel.

I mostly liked Liv as a character. I think everyone has had situations like hers where people either totally brush it off or flat out don’t believe you. The self-doubt, paranoia, anxiety, lack of sleep, and spiraling made me question if she was truly a reliable narrator. Hard pass on the rest of the cast – we didn’t spend a lot of time getting to know any of them but we did hear about their families & reputations.

I would like to thank Delacorte Press, Amy Goldmith & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this atmospheric horror that had ties into Greek mythology. All opinions are my own. Rounded from 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut! Liv's best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program—but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water?

This book caught me completely off guard. What I thought it was going to be it wasn't. It was an exquisite young adult horror novel with a well developed plot. I felt so bad for Liv throughout the entire ordeal. Why is no one listening? But then you find out why. And it's crazy!!!! Definitely worth a read for horror and YA fans.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousekids for letting me review this book and give my honest opinion.

Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. This deep sea, confined space YA horror was easy for me to get invested in. I definitely wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters. I wouldn’t say the characters were loveable but that almost worked better for this story given why they were on the ship.

There are things I loved about this debut:
* The atmospheric ship with all the decadence and shadowy corners
* The tension and stress our main character, Liv experienced
* The gaslighting that has you questioning what’s happening alongside Liv
* The Greek mythology references

There are also things that didn’t hit it 100% for me:
* A lot of characters with similarities and I would get them mixed up
* THE ENDING

I can forgive the characters being a little flat and repetitive because technically they do have a lot of similarities. And what we didn’t get from the characters was made up for by the tension and gaslighting.

BUT, that ending. This would have been a solid 4 star read for me if the ending would have had closure. I don’t mind an open ended ending, but this one felt a little like we didn’t know how to wrap it up. I so wanted to know what happened with Liv and the rest of the ship and I was really curious how the author was going to tie everything up. I think because I was looking forward to that, the ending really felt like a cop out.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

"I mean, obviously it was ridiculously, obscenely impressive, with its enormous sci-fi atrium full of floating exotic species, not to mention the expansive rainforest that had been sacrificed for all the wood. But I didn't want to appear too small-town. I shook my hair back and shrugged, as if I was used to all this grandeur and found it tedious."

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith was extremely good, a whirlwind of emotions that had me finish the book in one sitting. The book centers around Liv, who ends up winning an all-expenses paid scholarship for a semester aboard the Eos, a luxury cruise ship that would allow her a peek into life of the rich and famous. Better yet, she gets to make this journey with her best friend, Will.

I got sucked into the dynamics of rich versus poor, which is one of the underlying themes of this book. The transitions between chapters was flawless, with just enough at the end of one chapter to make me NEED to keep reading.

BUT...despite the solid writing, plot lines, and character development there is one major flaw.

THE ENDING!

Oh my gosh, the ending. Just...what? I have not seen any announcement of a sequel, but there better be. I closed the book feeling disappointed and frustrated that all the hard work on setting up the book, the mystery for there to just be...nothing.

Overall, I give this book a 3.5(bumped up to 4)/5. A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to the book in exchange for an honest review.

Liv and her best friend Will are travelling a whole semester on the cruise ship named Eos where Liv received an all expense paid scholarship along with seven other students from other universities. Liv is normally a quiet girl with many insecurities which increase ten-fold when she meets the others in her travel group. The girls are stunningly gorgeous and the guys are unbelievably hot never mind that everyone happens to come from ultra rich backgrounds which make Liv feel self conscious of her own humble family background. The group is allowed to drink alcohol although they are all under twenty-one so of course everyone drinks too much especially Will who happens to get into a nasty argument with Liv where he becomes very cruel and spiteful to her the rest of the evening so Liv leaves the party and goes to bed.

Liv has many disturbing dreams during the night and the next morning she finds out that after she left the night before, apparently Will became violently ill and was placed in quarantine with no further explanation. Liv becomes friendly with a couple of the others but can't seem to enjoy herself without Will on her mind and she also notices that her group and a few others seem to be the only young people on the ship. All the other guests appear old not older but elderly (Can that be right?). Liv feels a wrongness about the cruise ship's guests and almost every staff member on board where she daydreams certain images of strange creatures taking the forms of humans while her nightmares about Will and a few others become so twisted that her sanity is being compromised because she sees things that no-one else can see and her visions or whatever they are absolutely incredulous so that no one believes her stories. After several struggling days without any factual updates about Will and dealing with her living nightmares, Liv just wants to get off the ship and go home. No matter what she's been told, Liv knows something insidious has.been creeping within the passengers and there have been many unseen threats toward Liv which she finally realizes that her entire group is in danger and all their lives may be in jeopardy unless some people are involved in being part of a most incredibly, heinous and evil plan that is unimaginable by any normal human being. Where and what has happened to Will? Can Liv find anyone to believe her and help her to get off the ship? Is this luxurious cruise ship haunted or is it one way cruise to hell through the water leaving no survivors during this doomed voyage?

This was a fun and entertaining young adult horror story although I think it will appeal to a mature audience overall. The writing and storytelling were wonderful. Liv was a fun character and could be nerve wracking at times but then I'd have to remember she was a teenager without any life experience behind her so it would be.normal to continually create chaos and make impulsive and poor decisions most of the.time. The visual aspects of the creatures were scary and horrifying and just perfect for being in the middle of the ocean. All the characters were completely detailed and so expressive that I was truly surprised and impressed with this author's "Amy Goldsmith" writing creativity. This was a unique shocker of a well-done horror novel and I hope to read more of this writer's books in the future. The humor imbued into the story was spot-on to break up some of the most frightening situations and it was definitely a solid horror book with many science fiction elements so it will not be for everyone but I highly recommend it to all horror readers if you're interested in some teenagers as the main characters and their experiences throughout the story.

I want to thank the publisher "Random House Children's" Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this scary book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have give a rating of 4 SPOOKY AND UNSETTLING 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

I have mixed feelings about this one. I think the author did a good job at hooking me from the very start. I was immediately interested in the romantic tension between Will and Liv. As they were fighting the first night on the ship, I thought maybe we’d get to the bottom of their deal, but alas, just more rising tension and then boom—Will goes missing. So, naturally, I had to finish the book to find out what happens to Will and honestly, it’s probably the only reason why I finished the book at all because Liv was not cutting it for me. I never felt like I had a good grasp on who she really was as a character and found her timid and brave at moments that felt so out of place and unrealistic. The author had Liv withhold information from other characters many times throughout the book for really no good reason. Her and Con went on missions that seemed to always get sidetracked way too conveniently, dragging out the pacing of this mystery that could’ve been solved ages ago. That part of the book was very frustrating. Liv was frustrating. Her feelings for Con were about the only thing that puzzled me. It was never really clear why she liked him. Everything else, aside from finding out what happens to Will, became pretty predictable from the very beginning. And that ending? I was not satisfied. All that said, I did like the atmospheric tone and the setting—luxurious with a hint of strange gothic vibes. I also like the author’s style of writing. Just thought the story itself could’ve unraveled differently with more unexpected twists and turns, and Liv could’ve been a better-developed MC.

this was gorgeously atmospheric! i really enjoyed the story and think that teen readers will also love the lush prose and characters :)

4 Stars!

When I saw a book described as an “ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror,” I knew this was a book I needed to look at. The cover that brought visions of Lovecraftian horror to mind cemented that though and I happing picked up Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith to see if the book could live up to the promise of that description and cover.



The summer promised to be the greatest summer of Liv’s young life. She won a scholarship for an all-inclusive semester aboard a luxury cruise ship that would allow her to travel the world while learning and padding her college applications. Even better, her friend (and ex-best friend, and maybe erstwhile boyfriend) Will was on the cruise with her. Not even the disdain she felt from some of her classmates when they found out she was the only scholarship (and, therefore, not rich) student or the apparent shallowness many of them displayed could get her down. Even the somewhat creepy yet appealing sirens, a trio of picture-perfect influencers, and their obvious dislike of her could get her spirits down. Then Will got sick the first night and everything changed. The dream of a summer began to turn into a waking nightmare.



Liv finds herself forced to unravel what appears to be a conspiracy against her and the other students in her program. The only problem is that no one believes her and, in fact, treat her as if she is insane. Even worse is the fact there is no one she can trust and those she does turn on her. When more people start missing, it is apparent there is something very wrong on this cruise and her very life hangs in the balance. Liv must find a way to stop the strange cult that seems to control the ship and make it back to dry land before she becomes the next sacrifice to the dark gods of the deep.



It should be pointed out immediately that this is a Young Adult novel and reads as such. That is not something that concerns me, but it could be a stopping point for some readers. The line can be blurry in some books, but this is a story that is clearly aimed at teenage readers. What the book is, though, is an interesting take on the Lovecraft mythos through the eyes of a teenager. I will admit that some of the characters really did not work for me, like the Sirens who came off more annoying than menacing, and the allure of social media influencers does not have the same impact on me as it may on a younger reader, but I still enjoyed the novel as a whole. Amy Goldsmith shows that she is a writer of considerable talent in this novel, and Those We Drown is an entertaining read.



The horror in Those We Drown is more atmospheric than anything, but it works well for the story, especially given the Lovecraftian themes of the novel. It moves along at a brisk pace and there is very little downtime in the novel. One of the benefits of the novel being written for young adults is that it does not require as much work from the reader to enjoy as do many Lovecraftian tales. In fact, this novel can easily be read in one or two sittings. I feel the novel works better for a younger reader, but there is no reason why an adult cannot enjoy it as well. If you are looking for an entertaining read that is more creepy than scary and that can while away some idle time without too much of an investment, Those We Drown is sure to check off all those boxes for you.



I would like to thank Random House/Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Those We Drown is scheduled to be released on July 27, 2023.

i enjoyed this! there were parts where i was a little bored but that’s okay, overall i still had a good time!!

This book infuriated me, because it had all the trappings of something that I should have loved, but the execution did not work for me. It was still compulsively readable, I binged it, but now I'm mad. 
This is the story of Liv, a teenager who gets a scholarship for a (high school) semester at sea. Her best friend is also doing the program but goes missing after the first night. Liv struggles with convincing herself and her rich, above-it-all classmates and the snooty staff that something weird is going on, despite how things keep escalating. 

It is YA, so I can handwave teenagers acting like teenagers, but this Liv just made no consistent choices the entire book. I wanted to shake her. She would be smart enough to figure something out but then would convince herself she was crazy and disregard it. 

Creepy, atmospheric horror on a cruise ship? So promising, sign me up. And it delivered in that I couldn't put this book down until I figured out what was going on. Was I happy when I finally found out what that was? Well...I couldn't put it down. I think I'll go watch "Triangle" now.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

First off let's take a moment to swoon over that cover!! Now, I wanted to love this book, I REALLY did. And I tried so hard, but it fell flat with me.
Basically Liv wins a scholarship for a semester at sea with her best friend, Will. The first night, things get weird - Will mysteriously gets “sick” and it is shared he has been quarantined; however Liv is unable to see/talk to him and he isn’t answering texts or calls. After finally receiving a text from Will Liv becomes obsessed with findings him. Here she enlists the help of another student in the program, Constantine or Con, who doesn’t believe anything she is saying, but just blindly follows.
I expected this to be atmospheric and spooky, instead everything was tied to the characters. This was a bummer because I didn’t care enough about any of them. Also, Liv got on my nerves A LOT! The ending also left me with more questions than answers so I’m thinking there is def a sequel coming. Will I pick it up? Unlikely.

4 stars This was a campy but fun little horror novel that was set on a cruise ship. As someone who has never been on a cruise, it brought a scare factor, especially since I read it at night in an empty house with no sound. You feel like you can relate to Liv, the main, in that you're going crazy with how things can be explained. The premise is brought through with the writing and the pacing is good. The only thing that brought this down for me in stars is the ending. It is left open, with no true conclusion, which is frustrating. I think it was a good read for a summerween horror.

Great debut novel. There is a little bit of everything young adults love in this story. Beautiful cover art and the story was well told. My students will love this book!

I love this book so much. I read off my kindle so I don’t see the cover that often but what a beautiful cover this has! I'm not huge on Greek mythology but horror is a favorite of mine. I ate this book right up. I loved the main characters and the writing style! I think this story has a tiny bit of something for most young readers.

Those We Drown was a brilliant, atmospheric thriller with some intriguing and unexpected elements.

I was fully on board from the very first page, with Goldsmith having me on her hook the entire time. The entire setting was that combination of decadent extravagance and luxury, contrasted starkly with the rising tide of blood. From the very start, you are set off-kilter and feel uneasy. Goldsmith keeps the waves rocking and ground shaking, never allowing for a moment of true rest.

I will admit since watching the underrated and darkly hilarious Wreck on BBC Three earlier this year, I have been obsessed with crime narratives set on ships and this really hit the spot for me. It had that same thread of social commentary, particularly around privilege and how much the powerful will sacrifice to keep their status. Goldsmith weaves this in with fascinating developments that I did not see coming. This is a well-structured mystery, with tight plotting and pacing. The twists and turns are excellent and keep making you question everything you have seen before. Even the ending feels like another sting in the tale.

Liv starts as a meek, shy scholarship girl who is keenly aware (and constantly reminded) of how this is not an environment that accepts her. Watching her growth and development over the course of the book was an absolute highlight for me. As a very character driven reader, she was an excellent pathfinder to follow as we attempted to charter these murky waters. There is something so uncanny about that continued denial of calamity unfolding around you, amplified by that social exclusion. Goldsmith plays with artfully, creating a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere that heightens the central mystery.

Those We Drown is a creative and interesting YA mystery that elevates one of my current thriller setting obsessions to new heights.

When Liv lands an all-expenses-paid opportunity to study aboard the luxury liner, at first, it seems like a dream come true. However, she feels like a fish out of water amongst all the other wealthier passengers, and when her best friend goes missing aboard the ship, she must untangle its dark mysteries before it’s too late.

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith takes an interesting concept (deadly sirens aboard a cruise ship!) and spoils it with bafflingly poor writing. I mean it when I say that the descriptions in this book are so bizarre and ineffective that it kept breaking my immersion instead of painting a picture for the reader.

Let's look at the opening scene, for instance:

"Silence slunk down the now-deserted corridors under the impassive gaze of buzzing wall lamps. Blandly uniform doors yawned into empty rooms, raggedly stripped to their bare bones."

What purpose does this serve? Aren't cabin doors on a ship typically uniform anyway? This tells the reader nothing they won't already assume. Also, unless there's a draft swinging open the doors, "yawned," doesn't work as a metaphor here.

Here's another example:

"Everywhere I turned, I was confronted by acres of politely pale wood, almost plastic-looking in its perfection."

What does that even mean??? How can wood be politely pale? Also, having your character see “acres” of wood inside a confined ship does the exact opposite of establishing a claustrophobic setting.

To top it off, the characters in this book are vapid and superficial and mostly preoccupied with their looks, and not in a fun, satirical way, which made it difficult for me to care about whether any of them lived or died.

All in all, this was an incredibly frustrating read, and not even its fleeting moments of cool body horror were enough to save this sinking ship of a novel.

Ahoy there me mateys! So this is a book where the premise sounded fun but I did not love what the author chose to write.  There be spoilers ahead!

The Setting:  Who doesn't love horror on the high seas?  I loved the idea of a creepy cruise ship.  Problem was it felt like the author had never been on one before.  There were lots of descriptions of dining rooms and pools.  Not much that felt like a real ship.  Example: the captain's quarters would likely not be right near the bridge or accessible (ever) to tourists.

The Premise: The idea is that students are going to spend a semester (Seamester) at sea on the cruise ship where then things go wrong.  First of all the book takes place in the first week of the cruise between ports one and two.  Secondly there is no actual idea of what classes or life would be like.  I thought it was going to be a bunch of students who learn about jobs aboard or sea life or the environment or something.  Turns out ALL the students (except the main character) are rich kids whose parents pay for them to be out of the way.  They spend their time drunk, eating, or supposedly joining tourist activities.  Lame and unrealistic.  What is the point of that for a semester?

The Main Character:  While all characters are vapid one-dimensional idiots, the main character is something truly horrible.  Liv has no real personality.  She doesn't use her brain, whines, and dwells in lust.  She spends a ton of time thinking about clothes and how poor she is.  The author tries to go for a "unreliable" narrator.  Problem is the reader quickly knows what is happening and who the bad guys are.  So Liv screams her accusations everywhere, second guesses herself, and believes the adults ridiculous explanations.  Her best friend is one of the missing and she can't focus on that.  The bad guys should have immediately murdered her for being trouble.  I wanted to her shut up and stop being a moron.

The Solution:  Of course the captain and some parents were in on it.  Of course the social media influencers (the Sirens) are real sirens.  Of course people have to be sacrifices to the sea for the sirens to keep their power.  How Liv and idiot love interest didn't see this was beyond me given how much evidence there was.  Also why did the students need to be the sacrifices?  The sirens switch out a couple of folks during the course of the book with no consequences.  Why not kill crew members?  Or steal people from shore?  It didn't seem to matter who they killed.  Just the number of people killed.  I finished this because I was hoping for any interest twist or answer.  Nope.

The Ending: The book literally stops with Liv and dumb love interest stuck in a lifeboat wondering if they will survive.  The end.  No closure.  Is the fire going to swamp the cruise ship?  How is the whole thing going to be explained to the authorities?  Nada.  I thought/hoped that my e-book was missing a chapter.  We don't even get an answer on the weird squid creatures on board.

I ended this book being irked that such a premise ended up with this plot.  I wanted an actual horror book set on a cruise ships - mythical creatures optional.  Stay away from this and read Mira Grant's into the drowning deep instead. Arrrr!